CA1242417A - Process and circular knitting machine for manufacturing pantyhose articles and the like and articles - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT

On two circular fixed fronts of needles and by threads reciprocating transfer means, several pairs of tubular articles with ranks are formed being alternatively formed by the two fronts by means of sets of needles whose number may also vary; by means of adjacent sets of needles, the two tubular, leg-shaped articles of each pair are successively formed to make up the bodice, that is, the panties portion.

Description

The invention relates to circular machines for stockings and -the like, to procedures for forming articles of stockings type and in particular of pantyhose, panties and similar types.
One purpose of the invention is to make articles on a large-scale production while avoiding as far as possible reciprocating motions and getting the article completion directly on the machine even in case of pantyhose and the like. These and other purposes will be evident to those skilled in the art by the following description.
According to the present invention there is provided a procedure for the formation of hosiery articles like stockings, pantyhose and panties, comprising, simultaneously forming a plurality of pairs of adjacent tubular leg-like articles on two non-rotating circular arched fronts of needles and by threads reciprocating transfer means, the tubular articles having rows of knitted threads that are alternatively Eormed by the two fronts through sets of needles whose number may vary, subsequently joining the adjacent tubular leg-like articles of each pair to each other, thereafter continuing the formation of rows of knitted thread to produce a tubular panties body portion for a plurality of pantyhose articles that are simultaneously manufactured, and during a passage of the thread from one front to the other, shorter stitches are formed for recovering a possible thread excess.
Preferably for each pantyhose article one thread is used to form each leg-like article, and one thread is used to form the body.

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At the beginning of the tubular leg-like articles short rows may be formed that gradually grow by putting at work central needles in a limi-ted number which is progressively increased to form shaped ends of the leg-like articles.
In order to initiate the formation of the body, stitch growths are effected from one leg-like article to the other by inserting one of simultaneously and progressively the needles of an arch of needles included between the fronts of needles which are used to form the two leg-like articles.
The invention also provides a machine for the slmul-taneous formation of a plurality of hosiery articles like stockings, pantyhose, panties and the like, by means of the above procedure. In the machine the fronts are circular coaxial fronts of needles, relatively very close together, said fronts being rotationally fixed; with these fronts two carriers cooperate moving with continuous motion one in opposite direction to the other and one of which carrying selection and drive means for the needles of one front and the other carrying selection and drive means for the needles of the other Eront; transfer means of multiple threads - eventually replaceable - are provided on said two carriers so as to alternatively draw each thread along a partial frontal set of needles of a plurality of fronts assigned to the formation of the individual tubular articles in order to alternatively supply thread to the lifted needles of one front and then to the other front.
The machine may also include needles selecting means to join in time two adjacent partial frontal sectors or sets of each front which have simultaneously executed the two legs of

- 2 -several pairs of legs, and to realize body portions joined to the two respective tubular leg-wise articles.
The threads transEer means comprise, in practice, elements driven by cams in order to be brought into an active position so as to intercept and draw the thread, and into a retracted position so as to leave the thread, in correspondence of zones - eventually lacking in needles - which space out needle arches which are intended to form legs, respectively, bodies.
Said elements may be developed in the form of fingers linearly or otherwise spaced towards and out of the working zone of the needles.
Practically, one of the needle fronts is cylindrical and the other is substantially discoidal with needles more or less radial. Under these conditions, the fingers can be radially moved for drawing the thread to be fed to the needles of the cylindrical front, and can be moved parallel to the axis of said fronts for drawing the feeding thread of the needles of the about discoidal front.
Preferably the two carriers of cams and thread drawing means are driven in synchronism and in such a way that the cams for driving the needles of the two fronts and the drawing means exchange position in an area of correspondence of the fronts for separating and spacing thread between arches of needles of the two fronts which are intended to form tubular fabric, and thus between the leg-like articles and in a crotch zone.
In order to selectively drive the needles of the substantially discoidal front, selectors may be provided which can be connected and disconnected through selective displacement parallel to the axis of the fronts and which cooperate - when connected - with oscillation controlling contours in order to centrifugally push the needles for the thread hold. The selection means may be provided on a cylindrical fore set, while withdrawal means are provided along the needles trajectory.
Advantageously, the substantially discoidal needles front and the carrier of selection means relevant thereto are mounted on a structure which is axially movable towards and away from the other needles front.
The machine may include oscillating sinkers with discoidal, arch-shaped appendixes for the oscillation and with guide spacers; said oscillating sinkers are urged by elastic means in one direction and in the opposite direction by driving profiles carried by opposite rotating carriers.
To render regular the stitches along the article zones between the ranlcs portions formed by the two Eronts, end needles may be provided which are longer than the other needles belonging to the needle arches which are to form a length of tubular fabric along the legs.
Advantageously, moreover, at the end zones the edge of the sinkers which defines the pulling-down plane is higher than that defined by the other sinkers.
In an improved embodiment, the sinkers of the two fronts are fixed and shaped with edges which define the pulling-down plane, with back convex profile.
At least some of the sinkers may have, adjacent to the back arched profile for supporting stitch loops, hook shapings overhanging the edge which defines the pulling-down plane. Alternatively, a-t least some of the sinkers may have a proflle lacking in hooks. There may be also provided fixed sinkers with hook shapings alternated with fixed sinkers without hook sinkers. In this case, to the fixed sinkers with hook shapings of a front, fixed sinkers without hooks in the other front may correspond.
According to one preferred feature of the invention, the procedure provides that adjacent to said end, zones are formed with the presence of floated or retained points, thereby forming in said ends a shortening of the fabric in longitudinal direction.
Adjacent zones may be provided with an increasing nurnber of floated stitches to increase the shaplng.
Advantageously, longitudinal rows of stitches are intercalated with discharged points and longitudinal rows of stitches are intercalated with clear stitches and longitudinal rows of stitches are intercalated with one of floated and tuck stitches, rows of clear stitches being interposed with rows of floated or tuck stitches.
Conveniently a zone shortened to a major extent presents a minor number of rows of cleared stitches with respect to a zone less shortened.
In order to accomplish symmetrical shapings symmetrical zones with floated stitches may be provided.
A knitted shaped article, obtained through the above procedure, can be a stocking respectively a pantyhose (collant) ~,'~

with the toes being closed by a rank of stitches in common with the two fronts, which are shaped by the same procedure.
The invention will be better understood by a reading o~ the following descrip-tlon in conjunction wi-th the accompanying drawing which shows a practical 7 non limitative exempli~ication of the invention itself~ In -the drawing:
~igo 1 shows a sectional ensemble view;
Figs~2 and 3 show two enlarged details of ~ig.1;
Figso4 and 5 show progressively enlarged details of Fig~2;
~ igo6 shows a portion of a set of cams for driving needles o~ a discoidal front;
Figs.7 to 10 show an e~l~r~ed detail of Fig42 in different Qttltudas;
Fig.ll shows a portion o~ a set of cams for drivin~
needles o~ a cylindrical front;
Fig~12 to 14 ~how a rough plan view and two views in radial seotion illustrating devices for drawing the thread wi-th reciprocating motion;
Figo15 shows a set of needles and elements connected thereto;
Figs~16 and 17 show illustrative operation diagrams;
Figs~ 18 and 19 show a pa~tyhose article outline and i schematic local sections o~ the same;
Figs.207 21 a~d 22 show a local section of an embo-`
diment havi~g fronts with ~i~ed sinkers, and also a~
A inte~nal view of th~ sinkers of the cylinder and~

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respectively~ an internal view of the si~kers of the disc or plate~ -to illustrate the arr~ngement of the feeding thread in contact with the heads o~ the fixed sinkers before the needle reaches the point of its maximum descent;
~ igso23 and 24 show a varia~t respect to Figso 20 and 21;
Figso 25 and 26 show7 similarly to Figs~20 and 21, a further modified embodiment;
Figso27~ 28 and 29 show a dispos~tion of -the needles and sinkers in correspondenc~ o~ the end of a tub~lar article fo~med by a cyli~drical -front and a discoidal front;
Figo30 showR a modified solution respect to Fig~29;
~ ig~31 shows a ~chematic view of a tub~lar article toe with its end being closed; and ~ igo32 i9 a fabric portion being developed to show its interlacementO
According to ~igso 1 to 17, by`1 there i9 indicated a base housing on which a plate support 3 is laid~ This support 3 has an annular seat 3A for the lower appendix 5A o~ a plate 5~ This plate 5 presents, in -turn~ a seat 5B to which a cylinder 7 is suitably fixed forming bed for the needles o~ a first~ cylindrically developed front of lswer needles; this cylinder 7 thus presents traditionally ., f~

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grooved seats 7A for the needles 9 of said first needles fron-t which is stationaryO Into a central seat 5C of plate 5 a cylindrical column 10 is inserted, also stationary~ On this column a sleeve 12 is slidely fitted having on top a ~lange part 14; this part 14 forms, in turn~ at the bo-ttom~ an annular seat 14A for a cylinder 16, also statio~ary, which forms slide ch~nnels 16A ~or a set of selectors or jacks whose function will later be better explained~ At the lower end of cylinder 16 an an~ular element 18 is provided fixed to the cylinder 160 ~he annular element 18 m,~kes up a bed of radial cha~nel~ i ~shaped seats 22 for the needles 24 of a second needle~
front, which ~eedles 24 are9 therefore, i~lso radial and radially sliding~ The two fronts 9 and 24 resul-t close to each other in the ~eedles work zone where the needles 9 have at their upper end the traditional hook (or crook) with tang i~nd where the needles 24 present the crook with tangs at their outer end~ The cylinder 7 is supplied with a plurality of sinkers 26 whi¢h are to cooperate with needles 9 by movi~g in radial planesO These sinkers 26 are shaped with appendixes 26A with circular profile, by means of which they are swingingly received-for radial displa_ cements-into an annular ch~nnel which guidcs their swingO
The sinkers 26 are guided by overspacers and by laminate : elements 28 laterally applied thereto as well as by an s . . _ . .. _ ..

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inner guide reed or comb for~ed by the end millings of a crown element 30 fixed to the cylinder 70 An annular spr.in~ 32 urges the sinker~ 26 with the appendixes 26A
into the ~lular oscillation seat, and the annular spring 34 urges angularly the sinkers 26 in the direction of arrow f349 that i.9~ the active upper ends of said sinkers I, in -the centrifugal direction~ Against the action of annular spring 34~ the sinkers may be driven in the centripetal direction by camming profiles 36 which are movable relative to the si~ers urther sinkers 40 are provided -for the front o-f the radial needles 240 A190 the~e sinker~ are angularly movable owing to the slide motion of thei.r circularly profiled appendix 40A into an a~nular seat provided in the ~nnular element 18 which forms bed for the needles 240 Sinkers 40 are also guided in their angular displacement in the radial planes wherein they lie, owing to the presence o-f an overspacer and of a laminate element 42 laterally applied to each of themO
An annular spring 44 urges the ~inkers in the direction o~ arrow f44~ that is, the outer active ends of sinkers 40 in the lift direction~ Against the action of the annular spring ~ inkers 40 can be driven b~ a camming profile 46 which is movable relative to the sinkersO
Sinkers 40 are further guided in their oscillations according to relevant radial planes by a guide reed or comb formed by the per~netrical milling cuts of a crown element 48 secured below the annular element 180 All the assembly 12, 14~ 16~ 18 may be raised by a sliding relative to the cylindrical column 100 In order to make easier the guiding and balancing of said assembly tubular columns 50 may be provided carried by the plate 5 and cooperating with large pins 52 carried by the flange part 14, to slide into the columns 50; springs 54 wound up around the coll~ns 50 react between the fixed plate 5 and the flange part 14 to ease the lifting of said assembly 12 14~ 169 18, for inspection purposes of the needles wor~
zone, by raising the front of needles 24 formed by the element 187 relative to the ~ront of the needles formed by cylinder 70 In place of springs 54, pneuma-tic cylinder~
-piston systems may be provided~ ~he two fronts are guided in their relative axial slides and secured against relative angular displacements - besides through the guides represented by columns 50 and other suitable mechanical arrangements - by means of conical positioning pins and/or guide skids 56 engaged to cylinder 7 and capable o~ sliding relative to seats or guide-appendixes 58 secured -to the element 18 and developping downwards at positions in which it is not necessary the presence of needles in the two fronts and there is no article between the needles since -there are provided sets o~ spaced apart needles which operate separa-tely from each other along the periphery of the annular working zone of the two needles ~ront~ ¦
to make separated products,...
With the two neadles fronts received into the channels of cylinder 7 and element 18, which are stationary, respective contours of cams having aQnular; continuous or disconti~uous development cooperate, which contours of cam~ rotate by conti~uous motion, one in opposite direction to the other, according to -the same main axis of the machineO By 62 there are indicated cam supports, whose cams are intended to act on needles 9 of the front formed by the oylinder 7 and on selector~ or ~acks combined with the~e needles. The suppor~s 62 are.mounted on an annular, corltinuous or dis~ontinuous seat 64A of a ring 64 which is moun-ted for rotation by means of a rolling bearing 66 on the plate support 3; the ring 64 has an inner ¢rown gear 68 meshing with a gear 70 mounted on a side vertical shaft 72 which is supported by the plate suppor-t 3 and by the plate 5 through suitable bearing~O
Shaft 72 is caused to rotate with continuous motion by a motor 76 through a trapezoidal belt drive 78 or the like~
To the shaft 72 ~ besides the gear 70 - a second gear 80 is engaged which meshes with a crown gear 82. This crown gear 82 is mounted at the lower end of a shaft 84, advantageously of tubular ~tructure 7 which extends a-t the 1'~

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inside of -the cylindrical column 10 being mounted thereon through a bearing 860 With the lower part of the shaft 84 radial camming profiles 88 are solid to perform drives synchroni~ed with the rela-tive rotation between the :
~ronts and the driving camsO The shaft 84 presents on top longitudinal slots for engaging the tubular hub 90A
of a disc 9Q7 which is peripherically guided at the inside of the flange part 14 through a rolling bearing 92 similar to 66 and cooperating with the one indicated by 860 On the disc 90 an annular mantle 94 is applied at the periphQry of which a continuous or discontinuous seat 9~A is formed for supports of cams 96 analogous to those indicated by 62 and whose cam~ are intended for actiDg indirectly on radial ~eedles 24 of the front made up of an annular element 18~ in the way indicated hereinafter; the supports 96 are in front or outside of the cylinder 16 ~or driving ,the jacks or selectors housed in the channels 16Ao The kinematic system operated by motor 68 cause~
supports 62 and 96 to rotate with equal and opposite rotatio~ motions being the gears 70 and 80 meshed one with an inner crown gear 68 and the other with a~ outer cro~n gear 82 respectively, from which the reversals o~ rotation directions resultO
To consent the raising of the assembly 129 14, 165 18 and thus also of elements 90, 90A~ 94, 96~ the hub 90A is .... .. . ... . ~.. ._~ .. w couplecl by a sliding fit to sha~t 84 in order to maintain the kinematlc coupling, and the stability in the lowered work position of said assembly i5 ensured by a latch 98 carried by -the annular mantle or shell 94 and which can be engaged into a seat in .
the upper part of the shaft 84 D
The cam supports 62 have cams able to act in the tradltional way both on the heels of needles 9 and on tho~e o~ underlying selectors or jacks 102 and 106~ the latter bei.ng o~ oscillating type to operate the selections through rows o~ removable heels able to cooperate with thrust c~ms acting in radial 9 centripetal direction and with li.ft cams acting on lower thrust heels 106Ao This selection arrangement is o~ substantially traditional type in the presence of a relative motion be~ween the front and the shell or contours of the cams 7 in the present instance the front 7 being stationary and cam supports 62 for needles and cams 36 for sinkers 26 being in rotationO
~ he cam supports 96 carry, at the lower end, the camming contours 461 alroady indicated9 to control the oscillation o~ sinkers 40~ Said supports further carry cams~ like ~hose designa~ed by 122 and 124 and shown for exemplification, of a set of cams able to act on oscillatin~
selector~ or jacks 126 substantially operating like those indicated ky 106 a~d on jacks 120 also oscillating~ The jacks 128 ~resent at the bottom a heel 130 and an appendix 132 at right angles; this appendix at right angles is capable of pushing the needles 24 outwardly in the radial directlon by acting on -the inner end of same needlesO These needles have each a pair of upper heels 24A and 2~B~ which are a~le to cooperate with 'i sideboard cams 136 capable of giving defini-te drives to same needlesg in coopera-tion with the drives effected by the end 132 at right ang~les o~ selectors 1280 ~he camming contours 136 are carried or formed by an annular body 140, which is carried by and solid with the lower end of supports 96, said annular body 140 being either conti~luous or discontinuous. The body 140 forms the contours 136 which are intended to act on heels 24A and 24B of needles 24, as well as contours 1~2 and 1~4 able to act in radial opposite clirections on the heel 130 of each element 128~ 1~2~ It should be noted that jacks 128, besides oscillating, can also be lifted and lowered to lose contact or take contact wi~h contours 142 and 1440 By 148 there are indicated pneumatic openings for retaining cut threads, which are located at lengths of the work front lacking in needlesO B~J 149 there are indicated openings or an-inlets ~or sucking articles which are formingO
Figs.2, 3~ 5, 7, 89 9, 10 show various positions both of jacks or selectors 128 for driving the needles and of ~z~

camming profiles cooperating wi.th them and with needles 240 The individual sets of cams assigned to the various controls of needles 24 may be predisposed with mobile parts ~o as -to obtain contro~Ls f`or radial, centrifugal displaceme~t of needles 24 ~hich differ according whether the needles must or must not discharge the stitch in order to form smooth or mesh stitchesO For the needles 9 of the cylindrical bed, the cams either stationary or mobile - are instead9 traditionalO By 150 vertically sliding elements are indicated whlch form cams able to aot on -the heels 24A, in order to move the needles 24 radially in centri~ugal direction up to a situation in which the stitch is not discharged (restraint level)~
Further verticall~ sliding elements 152 form cams capable of further moving needles 24 from the restraint level to the release level where the stitches pass over the open tangs. During these movements - which serve to form the smooth stitch all the needles are driven in the s~me ~ay and the jacks 128 are not used and thus remain lifted ~lgso9 and 10)o To drive the elements 150 and 152, lever elements 150A and 152A are shown which are articulated on supports 96, o~ which camming tracks 122 and 124 for I controlling ~acks 128 are provided; these levers are driven by connectable and disconnectable cams carried by an , external stationary structure~ When the smooth stitch is to 'i, ~ -- .11~-be ~ormed, cam~ 150 and 152 are connected9 thereby~ all needles discharge the stitch and ~orm the stitch~ ~en the rnesh sti-tch is to be formed, the v~rtical pole cam formed by the e:Lement 152 is r~lsed and jacks 128 are actuated to be selectively lowered by selection systems 126 or by o-ther equivalent selection systems~ ~he lowered jacks 128 have the heels 130 at the level of contours 142 which thus cause jacks 128 -to oscillate from the position o~ Fig~7 to the position of ~ig.8, thus making respective needle 24 to advance - similarly to cams 152, but in a selective way - for discharging the s-titch, with the selection criterium provided by the oscillating jacl~s 126 or by other equlvalent mean~; the needles which are not actuated by jacks 128 are pushed o.nly by cam 150 at the retained stitch levelO In every case, the contours 136 cause the needles - which had been macle to advance centrifugally in any of -the above mentioned ways - to come back in ce~tripetal direction~
In Figs~4 and 11 cams 15~Ay 154B~ 154C, 154D) 154E, 154F are shown a~le -to act on needles 9 and on seleotors or jacks 102 and 106 for -the selectio~ of needles of cylinder 7Q
~ he sets of cams of -the two fronts (Figs.6 and 11) are sohematically illustrated in Figsn 16 and 179 i ~ ~he sinkers cooperating with the needle~ 9 and 24 are .~ ,. W-driven by the contours 36 or 46 to cooperate in time with them.
In the present machine, the needle beds (made up of parts 7 and 18) are stationary and the cam shells or mantles 62 and 96 rotate in opposite direction and with continuous motionO The thread must be fed in time to needles 9 which are axially lifted and to needles 24 which have radially advanced7 through means (operating as thread-guides) which must perform the drawing and intervene in time by m~ving along definite arches of needles; two different sets of such thread-guide mea~s must cooperate with each other to draw the thread alternatively in the two directions, concordantly with the active cams of the shells 62 and re~pectively 96 during the action of needles 9 and respectively 240 ~ he cams which colltrol the needles of the two stationary fronts~ are carried by equipmentswhich rotate in opposite direotions with conti~uous motion. Besides, the cam~ for one front must cross those for the other ~ro~-t9 in correspondence of stretches of fronts spacing out arches of active neeales which are to form the tubular fabri~O
lhis is schematically illustrated in Figs~16 and 17~
According to the illustrated e~ample~ four pantyhose or collant ar-ticles are formed s~multaneously~ To this purpose there are provlded (see Figso16 and 17) eight 1~

arches of needles Mg which are intended to LOrm the ho~es of the legs7 these arches Mg are subdivided into four pairs each of which i~ intended to form the legs o~ a same article0 Each article i5 completed by a bodice, ~hich is formed by the needles of four sectors Mc including~
two arches o~ adjacen-t needles ~g and the needles of the i~termediate axch Mt~ which are intended to fo~m a portion of ~abric e~uivalent to the so~called l'guRset'l which serves to join the internal parts of the legs; the arches Mg are obviously four if the arches Mg9 limitedly spaced apart, are in number o~ eightO
In correspon~ence of each arch Mg of needles a thread--guide eyeIet 156 must be provided for the thread which is intended to form one leg. One o~ the two thread-guide eyelets 156 relative to a same arch Mc must be excluded during the formation o~ the bodice and the other thread--guide must be assigned to the ~e~ding thread for the bodice. Alternatively? there may be provided, during the formation of the bodice, the interventio~ of a thread-guide dif~erent from the two ones which have formed the respective legs by the needles of the two relevant arches Mg~ It should be appreciated that each thread~guide herein considered may also be multiple~ that is, at the substantial same position there may be two or even more thread-guides in order to replace the thread accordi~g to requlred .t3.~.

characteristics of the article to be formed.
By 156 thread-~uide eyelets are indicated which are ~ixed likewi~e bed~ 7 and 160 ~or the drawing of the threads, finger elements are provided which are made to project and withdraw in time to engage the thread in order to draw it in the desired direction and to release it; these fingers are movable on the carriers including the supports or shell~ 62 and 96, at positions suitably r advanced respect to the cams re~ponsible ~or the motions of the needle~ In particular, in Figs.12 to 14 these drawing ~inger-llke members are speoifically illustrated.
On the support 62, or on each support 62 of the cam3 which are intended to drive needle~ 9, a block 158 i~
pro~id~d i~ corre~pondence o~ each o~ the cam systems carried by the same supports 62 for the li~ting - and ~uccessive lowering - of needleæ 9; in the block 158 a radial seat 158A i9 formed for a plate 160 able to co~stitute a drawing ~inger 162 for a thread ~ coming from a thread-guide 156~ ~he plate 160 i9 dri~en to be operated ~or the drawing by a centripetal displacement and to be excluded from ~he drawing by a centrifugal di~placement; both the~e di~placements are co~ntrolled by a contour 164 place~ in a ~ixed position and carried by a supporting structure 166 whlch holds, for exampla, also the thread-guides 156~ The contours 164 act on the heels ~0 160A and 160~ of each plate 160 and are disposed in correspondence of the separating spaces between the eigh-t arches Mgo At least the contours 164 which are in correspondence of the arches Mt - included b~tween the two arches Mg which are i~tended to form the legs of a same article ~ may be excluded to prevent their operating during the formation of the bodiceO A possible elastic peg 168 may be provided to hold the plate 160 and thus the ~inger 162 in the active centripetal position for the drawing of the thread along the arch comprised between two subsequent contours 1640 Each block 158, besid~s ~orming seat for plate 160 of finger 1627 forms also a tang guard prof'ile 170 for'the known function of ensuring the integrity of the tang and its proper positioning in the zone of the needle, lifto The support or shell 96 for the cams which are intended to drive the needles 24, carries a block 172 which thus rotates con-tinuously with the support 96; this block forms sliding seat for a plate 17~ similar to the one indicated by 160 and carrying a finger 176; this plate 174 is vertically sliding and prese~ts its own finger 176 at right angle to that indicated by 162; this plate 174 is , driven by a co~tour 178 similar to 164 ~nd also carried in fixed way (a~d in certain cases with a possible exclusion~
by the structure 166. With the plate 174, an ela~tic peg , ;~

180 coopera-tes, ~`or lceeping -the plate in the lowered position, which is active during the travel be-tween a contour 17P, ancl the next~ ~he block 172 carries a -tang-_guard 182 ~or -the needles 24 9 in a similar way to the block 158 The arrangeme~t of pla-te 160 and 174 and -their way of control are such -that a ~inger 162, once activated with centripetal displacement~ is able to pick up a thread ~ and draw it along in the direction of the displacement of its support or shell 629 to release it when same finger retracts owing to the drive of contour 164O By adequate synchronism~ a finger 176 of a plate 174 is inserted at the right time in ac-tive position to pick up the thread released by the finger l62 i.n order to draw it in the j direction of its om~ support or shell~96 and then in the direction opposite to the preceding one.
When the legs are to be woven, the -thread for the fo~nation of each of the -two legs of an articls is alternatively engaged by fingers 162 and 176 and alternatively ¦ ~ displaced along the arch of needles Mg intended to form the respective leg~ When the bodice is to be formed, one of the threads which have formed the two legs is excluded~ and the other ~ eventually replaced - proceeds to make -the bodice;
the drive contours 164 and 178 corresponding to the respective arch Mt are excluded, thereby a same finger 162 ~'1 ~ ~

and9 respectively 1767 draws the thread alon~ the rele~a-nt who]e arch o- needles Mc~ The exclusion of both the threads which have formed -the legs may also be excluded by the intervention of a differen-t thread~guide eyelet to form the bodice, which thread-guide may be placed in a position substantially symmetrical to -the respective arch Mc, and in this case, the position of the thread-guide eyelets 156 may also be sy~metrical (See Fig~16)o In the following the formation of the articles during a work cycle is explainedO
With reference to the diagrams of Figs~18 and 19, in order to form a single article out of the set of four pantyhose (collan-t) articles which can be formed simultaneously by the two fronts of the machine, at least a number of need].es, for example at least 400 for each article and for each front, will be available, so as to fo~m a collant in which each leg hose will be possibly formed through an arch Mg of about 200 needles in each of the fronts (thus for a -total amount of about 400 needles) and in which the bodice or panties portion will be possibly formed through an arch Mc of abou^t 400~440 needles -for each fron-t; the number of naedles forming the bodice will likely be slightly larger to the s~ of number of needles appointed to the formation of the two leg hoses inasmuch as the sets of needles Mg formin~ the leg hoses are spaced apart be-tween them of an arcll M-t made up for example, ~;
of a few tens of needles which are intended to form the zone of -the so~called "gusset" of the crutch.
Upon beginning the article formation, a limited ~umber of needle~ are inserted in order to start the formation of the article toes as indicated by 200; it is also possible to insert all the ~eedles just on the first revolution and then proceed wlth the central needles and with progressive insertions of needles at the ends of the instantly active arch~ ~hrough a progressive insertion of needles, substantially symmetrical respect to the central. needles which form the toe 200, a clo~ed toe 202 is for~ed, suitably shaped for each of the two legs, until the number of needle~ of the arch Mg for the .
formation of each of the two sim~ltaneously wo~en legs ~.
204 are in~o.ved in the work. ¦!
As already pointed out, to form each of the leg hoses 204 ~tarting from the end 200 and in order to form the toes 202, the work is~made by feeding the thread by means of fixed thread-guide eyelet 156, which thread is drawn along (Figs~12 to 14) al-terna-tively by a finger 176 of the carrier of cam supports 96 and by a finger 162 of the carrier of cams 62, and so on, always in the opposite direotions ~hown by arrows ~D and ~S~ The thread f is trans~erred according to fD from point A to point B, by ~2~ ~
,-~

a transfer :E~inger 176 which is carried by the support .
96 of the cams being inst-~ntly active on the assembly of needles 24 appoin-ted to formation of the hose under consideration; -the finger 176 i5 pushed downwardly to an active position to t~ke the thread and draw it in time so /.
that it can feed the first of the needles 24 at position A, driven for the forination of the hose9 and it is re-~ , tracted to abandon the thread after same thread has been l:
fed to the needles of the arch Mg up to the last of needles 24 which is at position B and makes part of the set of -~
needles 24 which i9 intended to form the inte~lal front I
of the hoseO At this point, the thread f is released by finger 176 carried by the support 96 whioh has drawn it according to fD, and said thread f is engaged by the incoming .j finger 162 carried by the cam support 62 which, since it .i is made to project centripetally, engages the thread and draws it i~ the opposite direction, -tha-t is, according to fS, to move it from the poi~t B along the arch Mg up to the point A, thus forming - by means of the timely driven needles 9 - a rank of the external front E of the considered hose 204~ the actuated needles 9 being opposite to those inaicated by 24, which have just ceased forming the rank on the internal front Io The arch Ao, Bo, which has been considered, is very small at the beginning of toe at 200, it grows during fo~mation of toe 202 due to progre~sive insertion o-E needles 9 and 24 a-t the ends of each arch of working needles on each front for -the leg hose under consideration; after that 9 the arch h, B remains constant during the formation of the leg 204~ Upon each revolution of the ca~ carriers rotatin~ in opposi-te directions7 there are formed ~ by as many threads - more ~nnular ranks E, I o-f stitches in even number on -the in-ternal front I and on the exte~nal front E of 0ach hose, and this number corresponds to the number of sets of arches Mg ~nd to the number of cams capable of driving the needles and which pass subsequently in front of each arch of needles Mg (be-tween points A, B) appointed to the formation of each leg hose. During the formation o~ the external ra~{ E by means of needles 9, the needles 24 are deactivated to be used and activated later for the subsequent formation of an internal r~nk I, after a finger 176 of a support 96 has picked up and drawn the thread just released by a finger 162. Substantially, there are alternatively formed for each leg hose of the eight under work - a partial rank I
on the internal front of needles 24 through the run of the thread from point ~ to point B (arrow fD) and a partial rank ~ by the needles 9 on the internal front, through the run of s~me thread from point B to point A (arrow fS) to give rise to a whole annular rank~ ~he thread at the end of an external stitch rar~ ~ formed by needles 9 is fed t'~ ~IJ

to needles 24 which are driven to form~ in opposite direction7 the stitch of the next internal rank I, at the end of which the thread is con~eyed again to feed the needles 9 i.n order to form the successive external rank E9 and so on~
Sui-table arrangements should be adopted to a~oid di~ferences in the stitches le~gth upon transferring the thread from the internal ranks I to those external Ep ~o this end, it might be possible, for example~ to provide that the needles being at the ends of the arches ~g, perform a shorter run in order to produce stitches shorter than the others, thus compensating the likely longer stretch of thread used on the passage between ~eedles 9 and 24 which are at the ends o~ the two arches ~gO To the same purpose, it is possible to aot also on the stitch formation plane o~ the sinkers.
It will be useful -to point out that, in this machine, the fronts of needles result stationary, the cam mantles or shells, that is, the supports 62 and 96 and the rele-~ant actuating units rotate with continuous, uniform and i, oppo~ite motions, the thread-guide eyelets 156 are fixed and the only masses supplied with alternate motion sre those of the threads f alternatively picked up and dr~wn by the projectlng fingers of the two cam carriers rotating in opposite directions~

~ t7 Af-ter formation of -toes 202 and legs 204, with progressive fo~mation of the articles according to arro~s -fM (~ 18)~ the poin-t is reached where the formation ~f the bodice part 206 has to start, which part is ioined to two adjacen-t leg hoses 204 simultaneously formed by -the two adjacent arches Mg of needles 9 and 240 The needles 9 and 24 of the two arches or fronts Mg of adjacent needles A-B which are intended to form the two legs of a same collant, are spaced apart by the arch of needles Mt including a limited number of needles, for e~ample in the range of 50-70 needles or even less~ When the formation of the legs 204 is comple-ted (simultaneously for all the articles under work) the fronts of the last ranXs of a pair of adjacent legs is at position A1, B1 and A2, B2 (~ig.18)~ At this point ~ according to Fig.18 - a progressive insertion begins of needles 9 and 24 external of -the arah Mt to give rise to the formation o~ a joining profile C in correspondence of the crutch and of the so--called "gusset"; the working fore por~ions o~ the two sets of needIes 9 and 24 of the two fronts, which are to form the same collant arti¢le with two adjacent leg hoses 204, extend the one towards the other as indicated for the intermediate position A3, B3 and A4, B4 of the two working fore portions. As they arrive at level ~5, B6, the two working -fore portions of needles of the two fronts join a-t point D, and -the formation of the bodice or pan-ties portion 206 s-tarts, with only one of the threads - which had formed one of the legs - being drawn alternatively along the arch A51 B6 ~ld thus A7, B8, while the other -thread, which had accomplished the other of the two legs, is excluded and cut outO
An initial insertion ma~ be provided of all -the needles at B1-A2 level, for only one rank of the arch Mt 9 and then, the abo~e men-tioned progressive insertion may begin~
At the end of formation of bodice 206, -the article is finished in the tradi-tional way with inverted edge and/or elastic fabric and with suitable final unthreading in order to ~orm the edge along the waist line as indicated by V
in Fig.18.
q'o simplify the work, the needles of the arches Mt may be inserted simultaneously (rather than progressively), that is, passing direct from ranks A1-B1 and A2~B2 to -that indicated by A5-B60 In the last analysis, by means of the machine a~ above described and through the procedure as defined above, ha~ing at disposal a number of needles in the range of 2000 for each front, four collant articles can be realized on the same machine, which articles are formed, on the same machine, complete with toes 200~ 202 already closed and shaped as i~dloated by C and with a bodice 206 directly .... ~. .. . . _.. ..

f`ormed on -the machine ~ithout solution of continuity respect to the legs ~nd without the need of any coupling, a~d fina]ly~ with a finishing along the terminal edge of the waist lineO Each article is therefore complete when detached ~rom -the machineO
Each -feed o~ thread may be double at points slightly spaced be-tween them and the two threads may be drawn by two different ~ingersO ~he described method and machine ma~ accomplish more tubular articles simultaneoualy" like stockin$s or other, or panties or other~
The machine may also be realized without si~ers and with suitable means in place of said sinkers.
Referring now to Figs.19 to 22~ by 301 there is indicated the cylinder of the needle~ and, by 303, there is indicated the annular element or disc which makes up a second front cooperating with the one made up of the needle cylinder 301~ Into the slots of the needle cylinder, the tang needles 305 slide, a~d~ into the discoidal front 303 7 the needles 307 slide, also supplied with tango Within suitable channels of the cylinder 301 rods 309 are firmly fitted, which serve to make up the longltudinal slots for the sliding of needles 305; these rods 309 are extended be~ond the upper edge 301A
of the cylinder 301 to exte~ the guide sideboards of i needles 3057 and finish up with a part 319 which is thinned and symmetrical respect to the thickness of each rod 309O

~0 This t~iL~led part 319 of each of the rods 309 constitu~
a fixed sinker which replaces each of the traditional sliding and o-scillating sinkers provided in traditional fronts of needle cy~inaers or other types of fronts.
Accordi.ng -to ~igo20, these fixed sin~ers, formed by the thinned parts 319 present a contour (or profile) 321 which defines the pulling-down pl~ne and above it they present a restraint beak 323 similar to that of the mobile sinkers .~nd extending on the upper part with an arched profile 325 markedly convex for supporting the thread; in this way the thread may slide along the arched profile to pass over the beak 323 ~nd reach the pulling-do~n plane defined by the profile 321. Similarly to what has been described for the cylinder 301, the other front of needles 307, formed by the disc 303, has a series oE rods 327 which extend be~ond the circular periphery of disc 303, said rods having a thinned part 329, shaped with a profile 331 defining the pulling-down pl.~ne, with a crook 333 having the function of the crooks of the mobile sinkers~ and with a convex profile 335 overhanging the hook or crook 333~ with a~ arrangement analogous to the one of the parts 321, 323, 325 o-f the fixed si~kers o~ the cylinder.
The ~ixed sinkers made up of the thinned zones 319, .
329 described and shaped as indicated, are fixed e~.ements which allow to obtain the s~me effect given by mobile :., sinkers; the fixed sincers of a front may be brougn-t very close to those of the otner. In Fig~21 and 22 by ~2 and ~3 the -thread is indica-ted in the arrangement which it takes before a needle reaches the point of maximum descent~ in which the needle crook takes the position indicated respectively by 305A and 307A in Figs~21 and 22~ It should be noted that the thread, by resting on the back profile 325 and 355 respectively, takes a waving attitude causi~g a relatively high absorption of thread prior to the settlement of the loops between -the needle crook and the profiles 321 (or 331 respectively) defining the pulling-down planeO
'~he sinkers made up o the thinned parts 319, 329 are in correspondence the ones to the others and~ similarly9 also needl~s 305 ancl 307 are in correspondence the ones -to ~he others and thus must be driven in an alternate fashion to avoid interfere~ces~ On the other hand, the formation of tubular articles in the way indicated herein-before, requires an alternate working of the needles of the two fronts~
~ he shapings of the thinned parts may be modified relatlve to those of parts 319, 329 shown in Fig~20g for several purposes. In particular, in Fig~23 an arrangement is shown in which thinned parts 419 and 429 (corresponaing to those 319, 329) are shaped without a crook profile but "- ,~

J ~

wi-th exten~ions 423, 433 ending with rounded convex profiles 425t 435. Fixed si~ers ]ike those of ~ig~23 may ~unctiol1 wi-thout difficulty with the needle wor~ zones very close together and thus with the coope-~ation of -the extensions 42~ and 433 on the fabric formed by the opposite front~ Some dificulty may arise in certain cases upon the starting phase of the fabric formation9 that in, when the needles o~ the two fronts are naked a~d must -take the thread for the first time~ To overcome this 7 there may be provided a start wi-th alternate needles or an arrangement like that of Figs.25 and 26 described below.
With the di~position o~ the croo~dess sinkers as shown in Fig~23, -the thread arrangement is bettered re~pect to what is illus-trated in ~ig.21 and also in Figo22; in fact, the contact points of the thread ~3 (see Figo24) take place only on the pulling down plane which is defined by the zones of profi~e 421 and 431 respectively.
A disposition which permits to obtain advantages analogous to those of the solution o~ Figs~23 and 24, that iS9 with a thread path non particularly diverted before the stitch formation, is shown Ln ~igs~25 and 26; by this disposition there is also obtained, without difficulty, the start of the working~ According to ~igs~25 and 26 there is provided Qn alternate arrangement of fixed sinkers shaped with crook as in ~igs.20 and 22 and of ~ixed sinkers , shaped wi-thout crook as in Figo23; in ~ic~s.25 and 26, the fixed sinkers shaped in the two ways above mentioned are designated with the samere-ferences as those in Figs.20 -to 240 Therefore, in the front of cylinder 301 there are provided alternatively sinkers 319 and sinkers 419, while in the front of the disc 303 -there are provided, alternatively, sinkers 429 and sinkers 329D Pre~erably, a sinker with crook will be mounted in ~ront of a sinker without crook in the opposite front; that is, a sinker 429 wi-~ correspond to a sinker 319 and a sinker 329 will oorrespond to a sinker 419. In this way -thread dispositions are obtained as shown in F4 o-f Fig.26, that isg with points of con-tact of -the thread on the heads of the sinkers, that is, on the convex backs of the sinkers in a number less than the number shown in ~ 21, and with a waving development little higher than that shown in Figo24J A
compromise is thus reached between, on the one hand, the disposition o~ the individual thread slightly diverted during the needles lowering for the formation of the stitch and, on the othar hand, with a possibility of a regular start of the knitted article by the naked needles. The al-ternation of the sinkers of two types may be different from that 1:1 being shown~
Figs.27, 28 and 29 illustrate more clearly the disposition which allows the exclusion of a negative phenQmenon which :~ 3'/

may appear during the working on two fronts either rec-tilinear or circumferenti.al according to the disposition of -the embodimen-t of Figs.l to 19. As already stated, the article i.5 alternative~y formed by a fore set of needle~
305 of the cylinder front and with a fore set of corresponding needles 307 of the discoidal fron-t; by means o~ needles 305 there is formed the article portion MN1 and by means of needles 307 the article portion MN2 An anomalous æone of fabric may occur in correspondence of the ends of the -two article portions MNl and ~2, that i8~ at the zone MN37 when the thread passes from the set o~ needles 305 to the set of needles 307~ ~hiR is because the pitch P1 between the needles 305 and between the needles 307 is less than the distance D between the needles 305 and 307 in the position usually lowered shown by solid line in ~'ig.29. When this greater distance D respec-t to the pitch 19 exceeds a given percentage limit of the pitch P1, it may cause a longitudinal flaw to occur at the two j opposite zones MN3 of the tubolar article which is forming on the two fronts~ ~his possible flaw is eliminated, in practice7 by bringing as far as possibl~ close together the two fronts and limiting the lowering of the needles in the individual fronts~ An improvement may further be provided in order to reduce this occurrence of defect in the longitudinal zones MN3 of the article, as shown in

3~ 5 particular in Fi~s~28 and 29~
Accordirlg to ~igs.28 and 29, at least an end needle 305E and at least an end needle 307E at the ends of the -two fore sets of needles 305, 307 which are intended to form the two portions MN1 and MN2 o~ the tubular article, are longer than the normal needles 305 9 3079 as shown in ~ig.28 for the needles 305 and 305Eo By X the dif~erence ln length i5 indicated which occurs both between the needles 305 and the end needle 305E, and between the needle~ 307 and the end needle 307Ey the difference in length between the needles 307 and 307E may be diverse from the difference in length between the needles 305 and 305E. ~wo adjacent needles may also be provided - at each end of a work fore set - of greater height than that of the other needles, and such a greater height may be equal or dif~ercnt.
In each case there is obtained a minor distance D1 respect to the distance D which would occur with usual needles, as show~ in Fig~29, where the crook points of the needles 305E and 307E are shown in dotted lines in the lowered needle position, whereas the positions of the , ~ needles 305 and 307 lowered under the same conditions, are r, i i indicated by solid lines~

In addition to what has been indicated above and for ,: :
; the same purpose of limiting said drawbacks along the ., .
'`~ ' "3 ~0 ' ``' ~ t7 end zones MN3 of the two article portions MN1 and ldN2 '!
fo~ned by the two fore sets o-f needles 305, 307, there m~y be provided, at the position where the two article ends MN3 are formed, fixed sinkers having the pulling-~down plane raised to a greater extent than -that of the already described sinkers. In Fig429 alternating sinkers with beak are shown (which may be eventually alterna-ted with sinkers withou-t beak) and two special sinkers without beak which define the pulling-down profile in a vertical posi-tion raised respect to -the pulling-down plane of the cylincler, and radially moved outwardly of the pulling-down plane of the di~c, the level differences being indicated by LX in the two fronts.
~ he level difference of the pulling-down profiles in the zone o~ formation of line~ MN3, which may be ~radual for several sinkers, allows to l-imit the differences which, otherwise, could be remarkable in these zones MN3.
Similarly, the differences in length of the needles allow to reduce the dist~nce D1 among them respect -to the distance D which would occur with usual needlesO
Either or both the above conditions of the differences in length of the needles and the level difference of the pulling~down plane, make easier the formation of a very regular article.
In particular~ ~ig~30 sho~s sinkers 519 and 529 of 3~

differen-t morphology respec-t to tha-t of sinker. 41'9 and 429 of Fig~23; these sinkers 519 and 529 are predisposed as to ha~e the pulling-do~ plane raised respect to -that of -the normal sinkers, in the points where the zones MN3 of -the tubular article are formed~ The morpholo~y of these shaped sinkers 519 and 5~9 has the purpose of not causing the hooking of the thread on the ends 423, 433 or 3237 333, when, by means of the thread-guide, said thread ~everses the feed direction by passing from one front to the other.
In some cases, it may be convenient to disposè a barrier agains-t a possible slipping of the sinker loops out of the ~o~les 321, 331; 421, 431, which ca~ not be necessarily prolonged towards the other front. This barrier may be constituted by an open ring like that indicated by 600 or 602 (Fig.20) housed in grooves or holes of the rods ~orming the sinkersO
According to ~igso31 and 32, by 701 there is indicated th.e tubular ~abric usually formed with smooth stitch or with retained stitch or with worked stitch, this tubular fabric starting from a closure ra~k 703. The zone of tubular fabric adjacent -to the closure rank 703 is constructed in such a way as to give the edge defined by said closure rank 703 - which is the initial rank - some curvature. This zone, which is called "toe" (as it can ~, be repre~;entecl by the toe of a women's stocking) is incl-icated by 705, and in particular, 705A and 705B indi cate -the two fron-tsand back edges of a flattened article shown in ~igo31; these two edges 705A and 705B can be viewed when the article is stre-tched in the zone of the closure rank, as shor~ in Fig~320 '~he two edges 705A and 705~ are to be considered practi.cally ~ymmetrical relative to the closure rank 703.
Supposing that the article is flat as in the arrangemen-t shown in ~igo31~ the curved line, in which the closure rank 703 lies, is shaped through a differentiation of the fabric structure of each of the two edges 705~ and 705B. This structure is symmetrical in each edge respect to the median chain-dotted line indicated by X-X, in case the shaping must be symmetricalO In the central portion, indicated by 751, the fabric is made up, for example, of smooth uniform stitch which is shown at the right side of the drawing (see Fig~32); by 753 there are inaicated two zones adjacent to the zone 751 and by 755, two further outer zones~ In each of the zones 753 the needles form ~ltern~te floated points P~ in the fashion of regular ~titches MR; according to the outline of Figc32, in said zone 753 there are formed rows 7531 with all the stitches being ~et up, that is, with all the points being discharged and the rows 7532, alternated with those indicated by 7531 v~ q where the ~eedle~form three floated points and one discharged point as can be clearly seen in Fig.320 In each of zones 755, the needles form floated points in a number grea-ter than in the zone 753 being also alterna-ted with rows of regular stitches; according to ~ig.32, in said zone 755 there are formed rows 7551 with all the stitches being set up, that is, with all the points being discharged, and the rows 7552~ alternated with those i~dicated by 7551, where the needles form seven floated points and one discharged point. The ranks with discharged point in the rows of stitches 7552 of the zone 755 may correspond or less to some of -the ran~s with discharged points in the rows of stitches 7532 of the zone 753~ ~he alternation of rows 7531 and 7532 and that of rows 7551 and 7552 may be different from 1 lo The loops (or curls) produced by the needles forming the stitch rows 7552 and 7532~ which loops develop in the ~ngthsof the respective floated points, are actually loops slightly longer than the common ones of the zone 751 and than those o rows 7531 and 7551; in the drawing, in ~ig.32, these loops are shown much longer tha~ in reality, for sake of clarity of the drawing~ This dete~mines, in the zones 753, and in a greater extent in the zones 755, a shortening of the fabric structure in the direction of arrow f, respect to the zone 751 in which only discharged stitches are fo~.n~dO This limited shortening of zo-nes 753 and the even more shortening of zones 755 causes a modelling of the toe, thereby -the edge 703 o~ the toe closing rank results curved as shown in Fig.31 or even more marked~
In practice, it is also possible to arrange only two zones like those indicated by 753 or like those indicated by 755 rather than the four zones 753 and 755, or further pairs of zones may be arranged, with floated points in a greater number than that of zones 753 and 755, ~ld all of them with ranks of floated points being intercalated with ranks of discharged points which grow in number from the central zone towards the periphery, that is, from the axis X-X towards the outsideO Obviously, the syn~letry of the zones like those indica-ted by 753 and 755 will be predisposed for articles which must have such a symmetry relative to the axis X-X, but, asymmetrical zones may also be predisposed for articles for which such a symmetry can be required.
At the beginning of the article fo~nation, along the closure rank 703 between the two edges 70~A and 705B of the tubuIar article, one or more adjacent ranks of dischar ged stitches will be advantageously formed as i~dicated by 761A a~d 761B, after that, the zones with floated points can start. B~tween the ranks 761A and 761~, along the ~4~ ~

closure rank 703, a connection is made with a s-tarting rank which formi3 several thread bridges 764 between -the stitches of the two ranks 761A and 76~B~
Such a structure may be reali~e~ through two opposi.te -fronts which create -the two edges 705A and 705B connected between them at -the ends alon~ the connection lines 765 (Fig~31)~ in which the thread, which has formed a rank of the edge 705A, passes from a front to the other to make up a cor.responding rank of the edge 705B. A machine of this kind is illustrated in Figs~1 to 19~
The zones with floated points like those indicated by 753 and 755 will be able to stretch to a greater or less extent, either for requirements related to the shaping of the terminal edge 703 o~ the closure rank, or for complying with other aesthetical requirements. Especially ~or the clos~d ends of women's stockings, it is possible to combine these zones 753 and 755 with zones of special fabric for the forrnation of the traditional toe structure.
It is possible to join the threads of the non-worked points PF with the thread of the worked loops B~ along the spaced apart ranks, thus with retained points rather than with floated points. ~here is thereby obtained, all the s~me, a shortening and thus a modelling of the article toe, even if with a rather larger thickening of the fabric.

" ~_ =, . ~,

Claims (28)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A procedure for the formation of hosiery articles like stockings, pantyhose and panties, comprising, simultaneously forming a plurality of pairs of adjacent tubular leg-like articles on two non-rotating circular arched fronts of needles and by threads reciprocating transfer means, the tubular articles having rows of knitted threads that are alternatively formed by the two fronts through sets of needles whose number may vary, subsequently joining the adjacent tubular leg-like articles of each pair to each other, thereafter continuing the formation of rows of knitted thread to produce a tubular panties body portion for a plurality of pantyhose articles that are simultaneously manufactured, and during a passage of the thread from one front to the other, shorter stitches are formed for recovering a possible thread excess.

2. A procedure according to claim 1, wherein for each pantyhose article one thread is used to form each leg-like article, and one thread is used to form the body.

3. A procedure according to claim 1, wherein at the beginning of the tubular leg-like articles short rows are formed that gradually grow by putting at work central needles in a limited number which is progressively increased to form shaped ends of the leg-like articles.

4. A procedure according to claim 3, wherein to initiate the formation of the body, stitch growths are effected from one leg-like article to the other by inserting one of simul-taneously and progressively the needles of an arch of needles included between the fronts of needles which are used to form the two leg-like articles.

5. A machine for the simultaneous formation of a plurality of hosiery articles of the type including stockings, pantyhose and panties through the procedure of claim 1 in which the fronts are circular coaxial fronts of needles, characterized by the fact: that said fronts are rotationally fixed; that with them two carriers cooperate, having continuous motion one in opposite direction to the other and one carrying means for selecting and driving the needles of one front and the other carrying means for selecting and driving the needles of the other front; that means, for transferring multiple threads are provided on said two carriers, in such a way as to alternatively draw each of the threads along a partial front of the needles of a plurality of fronts assigned to the formation of individual tubular articles, in order to alternatively feed thread to the raised needles of one front and then of the other front.

6. Machine according to claim 5, characterized by the fact of comprising means for selecting the needles to join in time two adjacent partial fore sets of each front which have simultaneously accomplished the two legs of several pairs of legs, and for effecting body portions joined to the two respective tubular leg articles.

7. Machine according to claim 6, characterized by the fact that said means for drawing the threads comprise elements driven by cams in order to be brought in active position so as to inter-cept and draw the thread, and in retracted position so as to abandon the thread, in correspondence of zones - eventually lacking in needles - which space out arches of needles which are intended to form legs respectively bodies.

8. Machine according to claim 7, characterized by the fact that said elements are developed in the form of fingers which are moved to and from the needles working zone.

9. Machine according to claim 5, characterized by the fact that one of the fronts of needles is cylindrical and the other is substantially discoidal with radial needles.

10. Machine according to claim 8, characterized by the fact that one of the fronts of needles is cylindrical and the other is substantially discoidal with radial needles, the fingers being radially moveable to draw the thread to be fed to the needles of the cylindrical front, and being displaceable parallel to the axis of said fronts to draw the feeding thread of the needles of the discoidal front.

11. Machine according to claim 10, characterized by the fact that the two carriers of cams and thread drawing means are driven in synchronism and in such a way that the cams for driving the needles of the two fronts and the drawing means exchange position in an area of correspondence of the fronts for separating and spacing thread between arches of needles of the two fronts which are intended to form tubular fabric, and thus between the leg-like articles and in a crotch zone.

12. Machine according to claim 11, characterized by the fact that in order to selectively drive the needles of the substan-tially discoidal front, selectors are provided which can be engaged and disengaged by selective movement parallel to the axis of the fronts and which cooperate - when engaged - with oscillation controlling contours to push centrifugally the needles to perform the thread hold; the selection means being located on a cylindrical front, while withdrawal means are provided along the needles trajectory.

13. Machine according to claim 12, characterized by the fact that the substantially discoidal needles front and the car-rier of selection means relevant thereto are mounted on a structure which can be axially moved close and away from the needles front.

14. Machine according to claim 13, characterized by the fact of comprising oscillating sinkers with discoidal, arch-shaped appendixes for the oscillation and with guide spacers;
said oscillating sinkers being urged by elastic means in one direction and in the opposite direction by drive contours carried by the inversely rotating carriers.

15. Machine according to claim 14, characterized by the fact of comprising end needles which are longer than the other needles belonging to the needle arches which are intended to form a length of tubular fabric along the legs.

16. A machine for the simultaneous formation of a plurality of tubular knitted articles, capable of simultaneously producing a plurality of tubular articles each being formed by two opposite partial fronts of needles which alternatively form subsequent semi-ranks of stitches with the thread passing from a front to the other according to claim 5, characterized by the fact that end needles of the partial fronts are longer than the others.

17. Machine according to claim 14, characterized by the fact that at the end zones, the sinkers edge which defines the pulling-down plane is higher than the one defined by the other sinkers.

18. Machine according to claim 16, characterized by the fact that the sinkers of the two fronts are fixed and shaped with edges which define the pulling-down plane with convex back profile.

19. Machine according to claim 18, characterized by the fact that at least some of the sinkers present, adjacent to the arched back profile supporting the stitch loops, hook shapings overhanging the edge defining the pulling-down plane.

20. Machine according to claim 18, characterized by the fact that at least some of the sinkers present a profile lacking in hooks.

21. Machine according to claim 20, characterized by the fact that there are provided fixed sinkers having hook shapings alternated with fixed sinkers without hook shapings.

22. Machine according to claim 21, characterized by the fact that to the fixed sinkers having hook shapings of one front, correspond fixed sinkers without hooks in the other front.

23. Machine according to claim 22, characterized by the fact that the sinkers with and without hooks are alternated with a disposition of 1:1.

24. A procedure according to claim 1, wherein adjacent ends of the tubular articles there are formed zones with one of floated and tuck stitches, thereby forming in said ends a shortening of fabric in the longitudinal direction.

25. A procedure according to claim 24, including forming zones adjacent said ends with an increasing number of floated stitches for increasing the shaping.

26. A procedure according to claim 25, wherein longitudinal rows of stitches are intercalated with clear stitches and longitudinal rows of stitches are intercalated with one of floated and tuck stitches, rows of clear stitches being interposed with rows of floated or tuck stitches.

27. A procedure according to claim 26, wherein a zone shortened to a major extent presents a minor number of rows of cleared stitches with respect to a zone that is less shortened.

28. A procedure according to claim 27, wherein in order to accomplish symmetrical shapings symmetrical zones with floated stitches are provided.